Can scrap justify trading at a premium to primary metal?
As premiums on primary climb and low-carbon goals reshape buying, does the math - or melt loss - back up scrap trading above the cost of metal?
Contributor: Greg Wittbecker
Greg Wittbecker
Read more from Greg Wittbecker Can the West catch up with China on aluminum smelter costs?
What’s possible, and what’s not, for aluminum producers outside China.
Why China's aluminum capex stays so low
What Tianshan’s latest expansion tells us about China’s unique playbook for cheap smelter builds.
The art and science of Midwest Duty-Paid Premium discovery
When calculating replacement cost, let’s be clear. The process tells us what a given commodity “ought to be worth”, not what it will subsequently trade at.
Rail freight metrics
Looking at short line and regional movements as an indirect barometer of what's happening in aluminum rail movements.
FERC rejects MISO proposals for breaking interconnection backlog
We are no closer to breaking the bottleneck of stranded generation seeking connection to the grid.
The courts pause Trump tariffs…. more uncertainty
Has Section 232 survived the latest legal challenge?
West Coast port congestion
West Coast congestion returns as tariff chaos fuels container surge.
EGA makes its move on U.S. primary aluminum supply gap
EGA has a sterling reputation for execution of big capital projects in smelting and refining, and it's early in the game, but the political winds seem to argue for energy provider Public Service Company of Oklahoma to cut a deal
Teamsters gain foothold at Real Alloys
Real Alloy’s Morgantown plant voted to join Teamsters Local 89. Time will tell whether this will prove unsettling to this operation, given the Teamster's history with the company.